Create PDF with table of contents – this is how it works

If you are writing a long paper, a table of contents is often mandatory. How to create a PDF document with a table of contents, where you can jump to the place in the document with one click, is explained in our instructions.

Create table of contents in PDF – How to proceed

In order to be able to create a table of contents in a PDF file, you must provide all headings and, if necessary, also the sub-headings with a heading format. You can find this in Word, OpenOffice, LibreOffice and Co.

• You have two options for doing this: you always do the work the same when you set the heading or you mark all the headings when you have finished and then format together.
• It has proven useful to format the headings in the same way for long texts. In the case of shorter, easily manageable texts, you can postpone the formatting until the end of the work.
• To format a heading, select the appropriate text, switch to the “Home” tab in Word, and then select one of the headings in the Styles and Formatting dialog box.
• Tip: If you want to format all headings at the same time, hold down the [Ctrl] key while you select the relevant text passages. If you also want to include the headings of paragraphs in the table of contents, you should give them a slightly smaller heading and type Heading 2.

Convert from Word document to PDF with table of contents

If you are satisfied with the table of contents, convert Word to PDF format.

1. To do this, simply click on the “File” tab and then choose the “Save As” option.
2. In the “Save As” menu, give the text a file name and select “PDF” as the file type.
3. With that, everything is finally done and you have not only created a PDF with a simple table of contents. If you now click on a heading in the table of contents of your PDF document, the cursor automatically jumps to the corresponding page.